E-commerce Trust Beliefs: the Influence of National Culture

Trust is a social and psychological phenomenon that is widely acknowledged as contributing to many forms of exchange, including e-commerce exchanges. Researchers have suggested that trust beliefs and cultural factors are closely related. Due to the international nature of business to consumer e-commerce, it is likely that the influence of culture may extend to online consumers’ trust responses. This paper describes an in-progress study where a previously validated trust measurement instrument is being applied in both the United States and in Ireland – counties that differ in terms of individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power-distance. It is anticipated that the study results, when available, will provide a refined understanding as to the influence of national culture on the generation on online consumers’ trust beliefs and thus make a valuable contribution not only to information systems and diffusion research but also to online vendors in their attempts to engender consumer trust in their websites.